Webster Salvages A Split

(Webster, N.Y.) On a night where a stiff breeze from the north brought a chill to Webster, a Canadian-born catcher delivered his own gust and cooled off the first place team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s Western Division.

Ollie Bertrand (Flagler) slapped a two-out frozen rope single into right field plating Wes Winkle (Ball State) with the eventual game-winning run, and the defense flashed some late leather as the Webster Yankees downed the first-place Hornell Dodgers, 4-3 in the night cap of a New York Collegiate Baseball League double-header at Basket Road Field.

Bertrand’s game-winner, his second in less than a week, came after the home nine failed to keep an early lead.

Webster pasted a pair on the board in the third. Matt Francis (U of R) reached first when a third strike was dropped at the plate. The center fielder advanced to second on a hit and run ground ball by Johnny Brill (Rollins). Cory Goeggleman (Waynesburg St.) doubled into the right field corner bringing home Francis.  Matt Delewski (Toledo) singled sharply to left field, and Goeggleman moved 90 feet. Goeggleman scored when Delewski stole second, and the Hornell shortstop’s throw home went into the dirt.

Webster scored a run in the first. Brill led with a double. Goeggleman singled, and Delewski added his 13th RBI of the season with a hit.

Francis went 1-2 with a walk in the second game and 5-7 with three runs scored for the doubleheader, but the native of East Amherst, New York made his biggest play of the night with the glove. In the top of the ninth with runners on first and second, Hornell second baseman, Derek Speaker (St. Bonaventure) sent a sinking line drive into center field. Francis made the spectacular diving catch and just missed completing a double play at second.

Tim Johnson (St. John Fisher) got two outs for his first save of the season. Michael Sandman (Ball State) worked an inning and a third for the win. Sandman is 2-0 on the campaign.

Bertrand, a native Saint-Adele, Quebec, has just eight hits thus far, but the 2009 First-team All-NYCBL catcher comes through when his team needs him the most. His double in the bottom of the 12th plated Wes Winkle (Ball State) from first as Webster came from behind to defeat the Niagara Power 5-4 last Friday.

With the win, the pinstripes returned to their winning ways. In the opener, Hornell roughed up six Webster pitchers with 19 hits and 15 runs as the Dodgers pounded the Yankees 15-7. But Dave Brust’s crew proved they can get up from the mat and continue to fight.

Webster has won six of seven and stands in third place with a 9-7 record. Hornell is two and a half games ahead at 13-6.  The Yankees travel to Elmira Wednesday for a tangle with the Pioneers. Out-of-ton can listen to the game on TEAMLINE . First pitch is scheduled for 7 pm.